Teammate social support, burnout, and self-determined motivation in collegiate athletes

Taking a Timeout to Ensure Well-Being: Social Work Involvement in College Sports

“…Approximately 5% or 22,500 college athletes contemplate suicide as compared to 2% of non-athletes, which is a statistically significant finding. Some feel college athletes are more likely to suffer from depression and attempt suicide because they cannot handle athletic pressure, believe their identity is only based on their athletic association, do not believe a helping professional would understand their unique situations, are struggling academically, and/or feel isolated from the overall campus population (DeFreese & Smith, 2013;Maniar et al, 2005;Miller & Hoffman, 2009). College athletes suffering from depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are also more likely to use alcohol and illicit substances as a coping mechanism (dual diagnosis) (Gill, 2008).…”

“…Challenges associated with building a strong social support network and sense of self-worth are likely made more difficult because college athletes believe their identity is only based on their athletic association and feel isolated from the overall campus population (DeFreese & Smith, 2013;Maniar et al, 2005;Miller & Hoffman, 2009). …”

“…Potential reasons for this disparity between Division I and II college athletes as compared to Division III college athletes include more sport-related time commitments, increased emphasis placed on competition outcomes, challenges managing the dual role of being a student and a college athlete, academic stress, and social isolation (DeFreese & Smith, 2013;Maniar et al, 2005;Miller & Hoffman, 2009;Williams et al, 2008). In addition, Division I and II college athletes are more likely to receive media attention, to receive more pressure from the overall campus to perform, and these college athletes are more likely to believe that people only respect them for their athletic abilities (Gill, 2014;Maniar et al, 2005;Parsons, 2013).…”

The Embodied Experience of a Football Championship Subdivision Student-Athlete

“…Social support can serve to buffer student-athletes from some of the stress they face (Baumeister & Leary, 1995;DeFreese & Smith, 2013). He mentioned family and friends coming to support him through task appreciation and attending games: "my dad's making the trip," "plus my fam is going as well!"…”

“…In another study conducted by Hurtado and Carter (1997), researchers found that Hispanic students' involvement with social community also related to their sense of belonging on campus. A sense of belonging is important for studentathletes' psychosocial well-being, as social connectedness has been found to reduce psychological distress and buffer against the effects of stress that college students often encounter (Baumeister & Leary, 1995;DeFreese & Smith, 2013). …”